Scrapes, cuts, and a five-minute major mean Brad May got down to business for the Red Wings vs. Chicago

The Red Wings' newest signing lived up to expectations on Thursday night. Brad May dropped the gloves with Chicago Blackhawks winger Radek Smolenak in the first period of Detroit's home opener, suffered a cut on his nose thanks to an un-called Blackhawks high stick, and he essentially gave Mike Babcock the punch he was looking for on the Wings' fourth line, as the Macomb Daily's Bruce MacLeod noted:

October 9, Macomb Daily: "We had May in exhibition for a couple of games and no one gets hacked
or whacked," said Detroit coach Mike Babcock. "When we don't have him,
we get run. We don't have a team that twists off helmets at stoppages.
You get tired of seeing it all the time. It's just nice when you get
someone to look after that stuff."

When the first period ended
last night, May stood in front of the Chicago bench and yapped at the
opposition, motioning for someone to keep his head up during the
remainder of the game.

"Cleary I'm trying to push that role,"
said May. "I think every team needs all roles and you have to be able
to wear different hats at different times. I'm thankful that I can do
that. I've been able to provide value to teams over the past and I
still think I can do that."

May's contract is for $500,000 and
will pay him a lower rate if he is sent down to Grand Rapids. May split
last season between Anaheim and Toronto.

He's a former teammate of Todd Bertuzzi in the NHL and played in the World Junior Championships for Canada with Kris Draper.

He's also a former pain in the Wings' sides from his days with the Avalanche and Canucks, and MLive.com's own Ansar Khan points out that he's probably not going to play in Detroit on a season-long basis.

Over the past few seasons, Aaron Downey and Brad Norton got "looks" because the Wings' opponents seem to believe that October's the time to see whether the Wings can be shaken up, but the Wings didn't exactly sign Patrick Eaves or bring up Darren Helm on a full-time basis from Grand Rapids to sit in the press box:

October 9, MLive.com: General manager Ken Holland likened May's signing to the club's acquisition of Dallas Drake two years ago.

"We
want to roll four lines,'' Holland said. "Brad May can play, he can
make a pass, he can roll around the offensive zone, protect the puck,
finish some checks. If he has to drop the gloves, he's comfortable
dropping the gloves.''

Babcock would be happy to see more of that.

"Tough
guys always play tough, I got no problem with that,'' Babcock said.
"But the guys that aren't tough, when they play against you and (play)
tough, that drives me crazy. So we've seen enough of that.''

When
Darren Helm is ready to return from his sprained shoulder, perhaps
early next week, the club will need to send a player down to Grand
Rapids to get under the salary cap. May might be the odd-man
out. If he is, and he clears waivers, he likely would return to Detroit
whenever cap space is available.

May wasn't worried about his long-term future on Thursday:

"I'm pretty excited about this opportunity,'' May said. "I love the
game, it's so fun, recognizing that it's becoming (rare) for a guy like
me to actually come in good shape late in training camp and be able to
prove myself. I got a long way to go.''

The Detroit News's Dana Wakiji duly noted, however, that Babcock might prefer that Helm get a few more games in in a first-line role to keep a player he lobbied the Wings to sign repeatedly in the lineup:

"He has a role on this team that's different than anybody else,"
Babcock said. "He's going to have a spot. He just gives us more swagger
and he looks after guys. All the good teams we've had here, especially
the teams that won, have had that."

During an interview with
Fox Sports Detroit between the first and second period, May said,
"Clearly, I am trying to push that role (enforcer). I think every team
needs all roles and you have to be able to wear different hats at
different times. I am happy I've been able to do that. I've been able
to provide value to teams over the past and I still think I am able to
do that."

To make room for May, the Wings sent Justin Abdelkader back to Grand Rapids.

"It
feels so good to be in this locker room and to be a part of this team,"
May said. "To be able to continue to play in the National Hockey League
is amazing."

Felt amazing minus the high stick, as the Free Press's Helene St. James noted:

October 9, Detroit Free Press: "It's fun when you don't get hit in the nose, anyways," May said
afterward, sporting a bloody mark on his bridge. "It's one of those
things, you're doing it for your teammates, and I think it's an energy
builder."

May and linemates Kris Draper (goal) and Kirk Maltby (assist) had a good night overall, buzzing and hitting.

"Brad
May has a role that's different from everyone else's, so he's going to
have a spot," Mike Babcock said. "He just gives you a little more
swagger. He can look after your guys and talk to people. On all the
good teams we've had here and especially the teams that have won, we've
had that."

...

The Wings shipped Justin Abdelkader to Grand Rapids to clear room
for May for now. Darren Helm (clavicle) is on short-term injured
reserve, and depending on how things go, the Wings may, when he is
healthy, send him to the minors for a few games while he regains his
conditioning -- that would keep them under the salary cap. Helm
is slated to center the fourth line for the Wings, however, so he won't
be with the Griffins long-term. Patrick Eaves would have to be put on
waivers to be sent to the minors.

That, though, is a problem for the future.

"Let's
take it game by game and see how it goes," general manager Ken Holland
said. "Right now, I would say Helm is at least a couple of games away.
As far as our roster goes, I'm not really worrying about it right now."

I will say this much about May: he's certainly proved that Maltby and Draper still play much more effectively with a "shift disturber" on their wing.